The Ballard Partnership for Smart Growth (Partnership) officially launched its year-long initiative last week at the Ballard Library with a “Joint Kickoff” meeting that packed the meeting room with Ballard community and business leaders.

“As I look around this room, I can’t recall a time in recent memory when such a broad cross-section of our Ballard community has come together in such a unified way to jointly create a commercial revitalization plan that will help guide Ballard in the years ahead,” said Scott Ingham, Co-President of the Ballard Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

The Ballard Chamber of Commerce was recently awarded an Only in Seattle grant through the City of Seattle Office of Economic Development to will help lead an effort – dubbed the Ballard Partnership for Smart Growth – that will create a framework for a commercial revitalization plan for Ballard.

“There was an impressive 50 people at the kickoff event representing the residential community, commercial, nightlife, manufacturing and other key sectors,” said Steve Johnson, Director of the City of Seattle Office of Economic Development.

“It was very inspiring to see all of those different elements – which are really assets of Ballard that make it as unique as any neighborhood in this country in terms of traditional maritime, single family, emerging multi-family, still strong retail, and nightlife – come together and figure out how they themselves want to organize and ask the City for assistance,” said Steve.

The Partnership engages stakeholders from throughout the Ballard community to participate in designing a commercial revitalization plan that represents a consensus approach to future growth and development. A Leadership Group has been formed and will guide the overall effort.

Members of the Leadership Group represent primary stakeholder sectors in the core Ballard community. Those sectors include the following: retail merchants, residents, maritime/industrial businesses, restaurant/nightlife, major property owners, social services and Swedish Ballard Medical Center. The Ballard Chamber of Commerce will coordinate the Leadership Group and the overall process.

The Leadership Group will collaborate closely with the four Working Groups that have been established to explore and ultimately prepare specific proposals to be included in the framework for the commercial revitalization plan. The Working Groups will focus on issues in the following areas:

– Business Retention and Development

– Clean/Healthy/Safe

– Urban Design and Transportation

– Marketing and Promotions

In addition, the Partnership will receive ongoing facilitation support and engagement from critical City of Seattle departments and Sound Transit. Participating City departments include: the Department of Planning and Development, the Office of Economic Development, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Neighborhoods, and the Seattle Police Department.

Periodic updates outlining the Partnership’s progress will be available on the Chamber website and information will be shared during upcoming Chamber luncheons, Ballard District Council meetings and other community events throughout the year.

Mayor Mike McGinn joined staff from the Office of Economic Development and representatives from Seattle’s neighborhood business districts to announce the City’s $1.6 million investment in 17 neighborhood business districts across the city.

The investment was announced at Maya’s Mexican Restaurant in Rainier Valley. Neighborhood business leaders from Ballard, Beacon Hill, Capitol Hill, Chinatown/ID, Columbia City, Georgetown, Madison Valley, Pioneer Square, Rainier Beach, Rainier Valley, South Park, University District, and Wallingford spoke about the projects and exciting visions for their neighborhoods.

“Seattle’s neighborhoods are one of the reasons we attract talented people and growing companies,” said Mayor McGinn. “That’s why investing in our dynamic neighborhood business districts is critical to our overall economic vitality.”

A large portion of the funding went to neighborhoods that have developed comprehensive, multi-year strategies, in which the city is investing a total of $727,000 in 2013. Which breaks down as:

Beacon Hill $ 57,500

Capitol Hill / 12th Avenue $100,000

Chinatown / International District $168,500

Columbia City $ 65,000

MLK (Rainier Valley) $ 76,000

Pioneer Square $100,000

Rainier Beach $ 65,000

University District $ 95,000

“I’m excited that the city is investing in the three major business nodes of the Rainier Valley: Columbia City, Rainier Beach and Othello,” said Susan Davis, Executive Director of the Rainier Chamber of Commerce. “This funding will help ensure that we can bring business leaders together to maximize the potential of each of these major business areas.”

“Ballard is a great place to live, work, shop and play. As a result, we are bursting at the seams. The Only in Seattle grant allows us to assemble community stakeholders – from retailers and restaurants to industrial businesses, major employers and Ballard residents – and create a unified vision for commercial revitalization that makes sense for Ballard today and in the future,” said Scott Ingham, Co-President of the Ballard Chamber Board of Directors.

OIS is also investing $115,000 to support focused investments in additional neighborhoods, Focused investments will be made in these neighborhoods: Ballard, Georgetown, Madison Valley, and South Park.

This year, $450,000 was also granted to neighborhoods for capital improvement projects that enhance the commercial district experience. In 2013, those neighborhoods are:

University District

Pioneer Square

Chinatown/International District

Roosevelt

Pike/Pine Corridor – Downtown

“In the Chinatown/International District, we’re pleased to continue our façade program and clean and safe activities, and we’re especially excited that the Only in Seattle funding this year was expanded to include infrastructure projects,” said Joyce Pisnanont, IdeaSpace Manager at Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDpda). “For us, we’ll be able to continue our work on Maynard and Canton Alley, which are two alleys of major cultural significance to our neighborhood that have been priority projects for a long time.”
Other Program Highlights – The Only in Seattle funding will also include approximately $300,000 that will invest in the following programs.

The city will continue the Only in Seattlemarketing campaign in 16 neighborhoods, which highlights the hidden gems of shopping and dining in Seattle’s neighborhoods (Also on Twitter and Facebook).

The city also will invest to build strong business-focused organizational capacity to sustain the efforts of neighborhood business districts in Capitol Hill / 12th Avenue, Central Area, MLK (Rainier Valley), Georgetown, Roosevelt, Wallingford and White Center. Support for Business Improvement Areas (BIA) will occur in the following neighborhoods: Capitol Hill / 12th Avenue, Chinatown/International District, Madison Valley, Pioneer Square, and University District.

Support a façade improvement program in the Chinatown/International District to develop and improve three façades through the business community.

OED will fund and manage this program in partnership with Impact Capital, a Seattle-based community development financial institution serving underserved communities throughout Washington.

“The Only in Seattle program is a great complement to the city’s neighborhood planning efforts that have happened throughout the years,” said Council President Sally Clark. “These investments help the major players in neighborhood business districts execute concrete steps towards a common vision.”

The Office of Economic Development (OED)’s Only in Seattle Initiative (OIS) is a partnership with Impact Capital, which supports investments in neighborhood business districts, and focuses on the following strategies to create healthy business districts:

Business and retail development (supporting businesses, enhancing business mix);

Marketing and promotion (events, social media, district advertising);

Clean and safe (graffiti removal, dumpster free alleys, lighting);

Streetscape and appearance (catalytic development projects, façade, public art); and

Business organization development to sustain the effort, including participation of an existing Business Improvement Area (BIA) or commitment to form one.

More information can be found in the Press Release from the Mayor’s Office.

Today, the mayor joined neighborhood business district leaders and local business owners at Big Time Brewery & Alehouse in Seattle’s University District to announce a $1.1 million investment in 19 neighborhood business districts as part of the Seattle Jobs Plan.

“Our neighborhood business districts are a critical economic asset. Their diversity and strength is a part of what makes our city special,” said Mayor McGinn. “The dollars that the city invests support projects that make an immediate impact in our neighborhoods, and they also serve as catalysts that bring neighborhood business district leaders together to organize and create a shared vision for long-term revitalization strategies, which will help our city’s overall economic recovery.”

Small businesses employ 72 percent of Seattle’s workforce and contribute 35 percent of the city’s business tax revenues, totaling $55.4 million. Our local neighborhood business districts serve as the location and incubators for many of the city’s small businesses. The Seattle Jobs Plan specifically targets investment in Seattle’s neighborhood business districts.

“As a business owner, I know that investments in our business district help us do more to improve our business environment and support our local businesses,” said Don Schulze, board chair of the University District Chamber of Commerce and owner of Shultzy’s. “I’m excited about this investment in our University District business to help us, the business and property owners, get organized around a shared vision for the future of our neighborhood.”

The Office of Economic Development (OED)’s Only in Seattle Initiative supports investments in neighborhood business districts, and focuses on the following strategies to create healthy business districts:

Business and retail development (supporting businesses, enhancing business mix);

Marketing and promotion (events, social media, district advertising);

Clean and safe (graffiti removal, dumpster free alleys, lighting);

Streetscape and appearance (catalytic development projects, façade, public art); and

Business organization development to sustain the effort, including participation of an existing Business Improvement Area (BIA) or commitment to form one.

The local business communities in these nine neighborhoods have developed comprehensive, multi-year strategies, in which the city is investing a total of $844,000 in 2012.

Capitol Hill / 12th Avenue $128,000

Central Area Main Streets $ 72,000

Chinatown / International District $185,000

Columbia City $ 66,500

MLK (Rainier Valley) $ 83,000

Pioneer Square $120,000

Rainier Beach $ 55,000

University District $ 70,000

White Center $ 64,500

In addition, the city is investing $142,500 to support focused investments in additional neighborhoods, as well as the Only in Seattle marketing campaign and business organization development.

The city will expand the Only in Seattle marketing campaign, which highlights the hidden gems of shopping and dining in Seattle’s neighborhoods (www.onlyinseattle.org). The following neighborhoods will join the Only in Seattle marketing effort: Fremont, Pioneer Square and Wallingford.

The city also will invest to build strong business-focused organizational capacity to sustain the efforts of neighborhood business districts. Support for Business Improvement Area (BIA) formation will occur in the following neighborhoods: Ballard, Belltown, Capitol Hill / 12th Avenue, Madison Valley, Pioneer Square, SODO, and West Seattle.

“The city is focused on helping business and property owners to strengthen local business climate and grow jobs,” said Steve Johnson, director of the Office of Economic Development. “Through the Only in Seattle Initiative we have created an investment framework and partnerships to execute strategies to support healthy business districts.”

In addition this year, the city is investing $100,000 in three neighborhoods for façade improvements: Columbia City, Central Area Main Streets, and Chinatown/International District. This investment was matched with $142,764 in private dollars. These improvements directly impact the continued revitalization of the neighborhood business districts and support ongoing business attraction and clean and safe strategies.

“The City’s investment in the Viet-Wah façade with a new awning and improved lighting will help our customers feel welcome and safe while they are shopping,” said Duc Tran, Chairman, Viet-Wah Group in Little Saigon. “Helping our business districts look and feel clean and professional help attract a mix of businesses and companies, increase our customer base and in turn, expand our bottom line.”

OED will fund and manage this program in partnership with Impact Capital, a Seattle-based community development financial institution serving underserved communities throughout Washington.

OED also partnered with the Seattle Department of Transportation this year to better understand the purpose and patterns of travel by visitors in various neighborhood business districts by conducting an intercept survey of visitors in six neighborhood business districts.

“From this survey we were able to gauge important patterns of customers in the district, including how long they were staying, and what other services they were looking for,” said Shelley Morrison, chairman of the marketing committee of the Columbia City Business Association. “We will use this data to improve our marketing and business attraction efforts. It’s the kind of research we couldn’t afford to do on our own, but is greatly beneficial, especially when we can compare ourselves to other neighborhoods.”

Ballard construction could spark an eco-districtDaily Journal of CommerceArchitect Ray Johnson says that construction on the Greenfire Campus in Ballard should start as early as next spring. The mixed-use buildings are being designed to achieve LEED Gold standards.

State of the Media: The Social Media Report – Q3 2011NielsenThe third quarter report on social media by Nielsen shows a current picture of social media use and influence in the United States. It reveals current trends and helps give an idea of the social media market.

The key to startup successEntrepreneurWhen starting a new business, one may be eventually challenged with a decision to make: continue along the same path, or switch gears? Eric Ries offers some advice on how to know which choice is best.

As a service to the Seattle business community, the Office of Economic Development curates a daily business news blast, Daily Digest. As a feature on Bottom Line, we’re posting a handful of stories from the Daily Digest every day. Find the stories informative or helpful? Keep checking Bottom Line or sign up for Daily Digest to receive the full version in your inbox every day. Subscribe to the Daily Digesthere.

Three common marketing mistakes and how to fix them Entrepreneur
Given the lean economy, fewer competitors are in the market. “This is good news and bad,” says Kevin Daum, a New York-based marketing consultant. Fewer competitors mean more flexibility in pricing, but it also means that your marketing strategy must be proven. Here are the most common mistakes to watch out for.

Productivity secrets of a very busy man Harvard Business Review
In the latest podcast for the Harvard Business Review (HBR), the hyper-efficient Bob Pozen speaks with HBR’s Justin Fox about how to be highly productive. “Let’s concentrate on results, not on hours clocked,” says Pozen, a business leader who wears hats in finance, academia, and on numerous corporate boards.

Red Mill Totem House: it’s a go at Ballard landmark Seattle Times
John and Babe Shepherd, owners of Red Mill Burgers, have scored a lease on the Totem House, a fish ‘n’ chips joint across the Ballard Locks. Now the owners have the task of turning this unique building into the Red Mill Totem House, which is expected to open in September.

As a service to the Seattle business community, the Office of Economic Development curates a daily business news blast, Daily Digest. As a feature on Bottom Line, we’re posting a handful of stories from the Daily Digest every day. Find the stories informative or helpful? Keep checking Bottom Line or sign up for Daily Digest to receive the full version in your inbox every day. Subscribe to the Daily Digesthere.